ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pass — a permit
  3. game — a match
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. land — to come down
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. land — a country
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lie — to recline
  23. land — ground
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com